Beachy's Nepal by Bike

Namaste. This is an account of a two week holiday that included a motorcycle expedition through Nepal and the Holi Festival in Kathmandu. To read this blog from start to finish, click on the links starting on Day one , and follow the link at the bottom of each page to navigate to the next day.  There were 5 of us in the group and 4 in the support team. The expedition was organised by Hearts and Tears MC Pokhara , and the bikes we rode were the Royal Enfield Himalayan. T   his is a 410 cc single cylinder adventure bike, and proved to be the ideal machine for our trip.   I hope you enjoy the read  and if you feel like browsing my photos, there are 750 unedited pictures to look at. Day 1 - The trip to Kathmandu Day 2 - Kathmandu to Pokhara Day 3 - Touring around Pokhara Day 4 - The Day Before Day 5 - Pokhara to Butwal Day 6 - Butwal to Bardia National Park Day 7 - Bardia National Park Safari Day 8 - Bardia NP to Lumbini Day 9 - Touring Lumbini & Ride to Srij...

 Our trip to Nepal was drawing to a close, and only a few things left now before we were home in our own bed. Ann and I decided to take everyone out for dinner on our final night. We found a little eatery, a short walk from the hotel and after checking they had visa card facilities we decided on that for our last dinner together. We all ordered our drinks and meals and soon we were presented with our meals. Surprisingly, none of us had any after effect of any food we ate during our trip Considering the basic facilities at some of the places we ate, we thought that was pretty good. After all the Nepali people generally take a lot of pride in their appearance and cleanliness. Peter and I ordered chicken dishes, whilst Ann ordered a pork dish, Michael a fish dish and Zelda had some kind of bread dish that I cant remember. Peter had commented on how tasty his meal was and I tried a bit and it definitely was, compared to my Pad Thai. Mine was gluggy and not like the Pad Thai  I hav...

 After yesterday,s full on festivities and face painting, went to the Kathmandu Hard Rock Cafe for Dinner. This was our first visit to a Hard Rock Cafe and we were pretty impressed with what we saw. A lot of music memorabilia adorns the walls such as B B King's Robe, Keith RIchards Session Guitar, and one of Princes outfits. The meal was typically American with burgers, fries and shrimps on the menu. It was a pretty good night and good meal for something different. After, we all crammed into a Nepal Taxi. These are about the size of a Suzuki Swift, so fitting 5 Adults and a drive in one of these was a pretty mean task. Back at the hotel it didn't take long to get to sleep. So now to today's activities. The plan is to go to Bhaktapur, the oldest city in Nepal, dating back to the 12th Century. On our way we stopped at the world's largest statue of Lord Shiva and as has been the case all over Nepal, had our picture taken with and by numerous locals. After our walk around t...

 Last night after our shower and freshen up we went to a local restaurant for dinner. The waiter was very  good and occasionally cracked a subtle joke or two. Michael had been hanging out for some seafood. He could have had fish along the way but they advised it was very boney local fish so he chose not to. He ordered the British fish and chips and asked if it had bones. The waiter replied " You want bones? I can put in for you!" We joked and said put in some chicken bones and the waiter laughed, not expecting us to join in. He told us they were very busy, and a meal might be a bit later. Zelda asked "How long,  a few minutes, an hour, A Nepali minute? He said "about Nepali 10 minutes so about an hour, but I will bring you some free snacks. About a half hour later our meals were being delivered  so everything was on schedule. The meals as we have come to expect here were fantastic, and we had the most amazing home made lemonade with mint. After dinner we returned to...

  Today was  the last day of our motorcycle odyssey and day 10 of our Nepal holiday. Our stay at the Cliffs was amazing. The food was first class and the staff and accommodation was the pinnacle of our bike tour. This is not just a lavish glamping experience. It is also the worlds second highest bungy jump at 228 metres and swing. It is also the world's longest and highest sky cycle, as well as sky surfing, zip line, and a range of other activities for the thrill seeker in you. The manager said he has plans to make it better by putting in a pool and also a spa with massage. It is no wonder it was a popular place for locals and international visitors. Sadly though we had to leave as we had a schedule to meet. After breakfast, we made our way back to the bikes and mounted up for a ride to the suspension bridge. The plan was for some of us to ride across the bridge and then turn around and ride back. When we got there, the bridge was pretty busy with pedestrian traffic and it mad...

Our itinerary was changed because of roadworks and we were glad it was. We were given one of three options for today. Option 1: a full day off road to end up at our destination. Option 2: mostly sealed road but s short section of rough off road. Option 3: Return to Pokhara and come back via sealed roads. After yesterdays fight with the roadworks we deicided on Option 2. Now one thing you need to know about distance in Nepal. A Nepali kilometre can vary from 2 to 10 km depending on who tells you.  We left the Srijana Farm after a delicious breakfast of all local delicacies. The first few hours on the road were relatively easy by comparison to other days. After a coffee stop and a lunch stop we started our "off road" venture. Off road here takes on a totally different meaning to what we are used to. WE have unsealed roads in Australia that may have a few pot holes here and there. Here in Nepal we have potholes that have a few bits of road in between. Our average speed would ha...

It was little differnt today with an early start to tour some temples in Lumbini. This is known as the birthplace of Buddha. Buddha was a prince who renounced his royalty in search of enlightenment.  After leading a life of begging, asceticism  and meditation, he attained  enlightenment  at  Bodh Gaya  in what is now India.  The location of the birthplace is housed in a magnificent building but unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside. The area outside also shows the ruins on his former palace. This is to Buddhists what Mecca is to Muslims. Buddhists from all over the world come here to pray and find their own path to enlightenment. The prayer flags were everywhere and standing in amongst them I felt a sense of calm come over me. Walking around this area, before the crowds, there is a feeling of calm, peace and serenity. Buddhist monks from all nationalities were here and some gave us blessings when we made a small donation to them. Af...

  We opted for an early start for the day and by 7:45 AM we were on the road to Lumbini. We were travelling along the road we came in on but everything looked so different from the other direction. The first hour was pretty uneventful and the road had little traffic. Before long we started to come across more populated towns and villages. This is normally where all the fun starts. Well there was almost an incident with Ann where a scooter decided to ride across the road directly in front of her. She avoided a collision by mere inches, and was pretty shaken by the experience. It seems everyone was out to cause havoc today with  several near misses to most of our group including myself. But this is pretty much a normal day riding here we are told. We came to a halt half way up one of the mountains where a bus had missed a turn and slammed head on into the side of the hill. It looked pretty nasty for the driver and no one was there so it must have happened a while back. A few leg...

  No riding today so the butts get a rest. Instead we are going on Safari in the National park. This park is around 950 square kilometres and is home to unicorn rhinorceros, bengal tiger and asiatic elephants to name a few. Around 150 tigers inhabit the area so to see one in this would be a stroke of luck. The day started early and we were ready for our safari by 7.00 AM. On entry to the park we were greeted by a pack of monkeys. One of them took a dislike to Michael taking it picture and hissed and snarled at him. We were shown a tiger who unfortunately had to be detained because he was having trouble for the local people, and a rhino who was orphaned and partly blind. He didn't want to be released and kept returning to the people who rescued him, Ann was lucky enough to give him a rub on the nose and horn and he seemed to enjoy it. We also got the see an elephant who unfortunately has cancer in her front left foot and rear right hip. They are really looking after the animals here...

  We were warned it would be tough going today and it didn't disappoint. It was only 304 kms from the hotel to our stop for the night but the roads and traffic made for an interesting day. Yesterday and today we rode through a few police checkpoints and were not stopped....... until this morning. We were stopped and asked to produce our licenses. We do have our international licenses. but they were in our bags on the support vehicle. Prabin, our guide somehow managed to get us through without providing our licenses which was a relief. The young policeman asked both of our lady riders how old they were and was surprised with their response. Once we got the all clear we were waved through and on our way again.  Ann did mention how cute he was but I didn't notice surprisingly enough. A few hours in and we were making our way up the hills again and through more roadworks. Suddenly traffic came to a standstill because 2 busses tried to navigate the same small pass at the same time ...